RAFA Benitez defended his decision to rest Juan Mata after Chelsea fired another blank against Fulham.

The Spanish star was left out of the starting XI before coming on as a second-half substitute for Ryan Bertrand as the Blues failed to find the net for the third-straight game in the goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

But Benitez insists he is trying to keep Mata fresh ahead of next month's World Club Cup.

He said: “We have too many games, so the idea is to manage the squad and use the players we have.

“We play again at West Ham on Saturday and then we are going to Japan [for the World Club Cup], so we have to manage it.”